Overcoming NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder)
Back and forth. Up and down. Back and forth. Side to side. Back and forth. Repeat ad nauseam. The seas were rough on this particular night, touring between the Galapagos islands. And many on the boat were looking greener than the foliage we had seen on some of the islands. I, on the other hand, was feeling great. “Give me two helpings of the fish!” I exclaimed cheerfully. “I want the servings of those who didn’t show up for dinner.” Bad idea.
Just a couple of hours later, that fish dinner returned to the ocean. Yup. I was sick to my stomach, just like most everyone else on the Galapagos cruise. (The exception were those passengers that had patches behind their ears to help fight the nausea. Not all of us had planned ahead like that.)
But it was all worth it, really. Sea turtles. Marine iguanas. Sea lions. Hummingbirds. The animal and plant life I explored on the islands blew me away. 40% of what is seen there can be observed on no other place on the planet! (I hope to post more on the subject in the future.)
This is a PSA that we don’t have to go on island cruises (thank goodness) to remote parts of the earth to overcome Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD). We can take action wherever we are to counteract the time we spend under artificial lights, in front of devices that emit blue light and radiation.
Explore
Ecuador is a land of many mountains and volcanoes. You can see them in the distance, pretty much at every turn. I wonder how many people make the effort to see them first-hand, up close and personal. I can’t say, but I do know that oftentimes we become so accustomed to our surroundings that we ignore them altogether. On our honeymoon in Bermuda, my husband and I remarked to a native Bermudan how glorious her island was. She shrugged.
Don’t let this happen to you. There may be parks, rivers, preserves near you. Play tourist for a day or two and go explore the beautiful places/spaces near your neighborhood!
Our group decided to visit Cotopaxi and to ascend to the first “refugio” (that was at an altitude of over 15K) with the help of a guide. The altitude makes any kind of hike there challenging, even for seasoned climbers, and the weather is changeable with high winds and cold temperatures. Nonetheless, we embraced our inner explorers (Dora would have been proud) and so the quest began. The reward? Priceless.
Respect
Arriving at the base of the volcano, our guide, Nancy, suggested that we put a bit of its dirt under our tongues, in order that the mountain might recognize us, and that we, in turn, might honor it.
This gesture was reminiscent of my time on the land of the Iningai people, outside of Barcaldine, Australia. My host, Suzanne Thompson, had a group of us visitors bathe in a stream on the property to acknowledge the ancestors in that place and that they might identify and welcome us.
These moments were also a way to commune deeply with nature. They were a reminder that we’re not separate from nature or above it, but a part of it all! When we recognize its beauty and uniqueness, and take time to acknowledge it, we gain clarity about our own identity and purpose.
Dive in
One aspect of the Inti Raymi festival, that we participated in near Otavalo, is the “baño ritual” or ritual cleansing. Mamá Rosita invited me to participate in it, in a nearby creek one evening. My friends kept warning me that the water was freezing and they pointed out how unusual it was for the community to invite me not to just observe but to participate in the ritual.
Once we arrived in the aquatic park area, I found myself shaking but it wasn’t because of the cold. I wanted to participate. I was excited but I was also nervous. I had no idea what the event would entail and what customs were a part of it all. But I took the plunge, quite literally.
After some words of welcome to the community, Mamá Rosita waded into the water, in her traditional clothing. Community members followed. Some were in swimsuits; others in their underwear. (I was in the former.)
I waited to observe the ritual, until it felt like the right time for me to join. I took hold of the bundle of grasses that others had. To my surprise, the water wasn’t as cold as I expected (maybe my cold therapy practices made it more tolerable?). I stood beside community members waiting for my turn. One by one, Mamá Rosita poured water over us in a ceremony, not unlike baptism, and she invited each person to hit their bodies with the plants. A second person came by shortly afterwards with a kind of incense in a bowl, waving the smoke around our bodies.
The idea of the ceremony, in part, was to let go of bad energy and embrace the positive energy of the healing local waters. There must be waters nearby where you live! Dive in! Discover that good energy wherever you are.
Wonder
One of the most wonder-filled moments for me was when I encountered sea lions on Mosquera Island. They were young, adolescent-aged at most. This is why they were curious and friendly. I literally rolled around the beach with them as they nipped at my wetsuit zipper pull and rolled around too. It was marvelous and marvel-worthy.
Emails don’t create this kind of awe and wonder. The four walls around us inspire no amount of surprise or joy. We can re-enter childlike awe by simply taking the time to get outside and observe, and even participate in it. Explore your surroundings. Respect the beauty and majesty of what you see. Dive into it, to share in its depths. Wonder at its mystery.
You may notice something as small as an ant at work or the curl of a red/brown leaf. Or you may encounter a sea lion or hummingbird. These encounters are healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Such moments are missed by most with NDD. May that not be the case for us.
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Hilda Labrada Gore is an ancestral health advocate, a certified health coach, and fitness professional. She is the host and producer of the Wise Traditions podcast and Tradiciones Sabias podcasts, on behalf of the Weston A. Price Foundation. She is a podcast coach, too, and the author of “Podcasting Made Simple.” She is also a YouTuber, helping people live their best lives through experts, experiences, and epic adventures. Hilda has energy to spare thanks to her ancestral health practices and her love for sunshine and liverwurst.